Investigating the sociolinguistic gender paradox in a multilingual community: a case study

This article focused on the gender paradox, which suggests women are sometimes conservative and sometimes innovative in terms of linguistic variation and change (Matsumoto and Britain 1). In the study of language change, the most prominent research questions have focused on the paradox of gendered linguistic behavior (Matsumoto and Britain 1). In many different studies, there was a consistent finding that women demonstrate conservative linguistic behaviors for traditional stability yet are leaders of linguistic innovation compared to men (Matsumoto and Britain 1).

In one study, researchers examined language shift in the Republic of Palau in the Western Pacific on a Japanese-Palauan returnee community whose first-generation was born and raised in Palau, forced out from Palau to Japan after World War II, and later granted permission back to Palau by the United States (Matsumoto and Britain 2). The Palau Islands are an archipelago located in the Western Caroline region of the Pacific, with a population of 17,000 (qtd. in Matsumoto and Britain 4). The Austronesian indigenous language, Palauan, has, as a result of a century of colonial domination by Spain, Germany, Japan, and the U.S., come into prolonged contact with a number of nonlocal languages (Matsumoto and Britain 4).

"For older Japanese-Palauan women, the greater use of Japanese represents adherence to their heritage language" (Matsumoto and Britain 1). "Among younger Japanese-Palauan women (most of whom are bilingual in Palauan and English), however, the use of Japanese represents a change towards a language highly valued in the economy as essential for the promotion of tourism and trade" (Matsumoto and Britain 1). First generation women use ethnic language more than first generation men do (Matsumoto and Britain 3). First generation immigrant women look after children and the elderly and educate children of ethnic traditions and values while men seek out work in the new society where mainstream language is required (Matsumoto and Britain 3). Second generation women, however, are enthusiastic about adopting a new language than men because it appears to improve their social status (Matsumoto and Britain 3). For women, language may be used to escape the rather harsh restrictions expected of women’s traditional roles.

A cross-examination of sex and Japanese suggests females use Japanese more than males (Matsumoto and Britain 15). Only after an in depth ethnographic observation and data collection in Palau were researchers able to fully uncover the meaningful patterns of Japanese language use by the different gender groups (Matsumoto and Britain 15). "Use of Japanese" by the grandparent and parent generations may represent conservative behavior, in the sense that it indicates maintenance of their mother tongue or ethnic home language, while "use of Japanese" by the children's generation may be seen as innovative behavior, in the sense that it indicates the adoption of an incoming overtly prestigious foreign language which assures job security" (Matsumoto and Britain 15). Therefore, gender alone isn’t responsible. Researchers took other factors into account such as age and generation. However regardless of age, individuals were motivated by entirely different and divergent social and economic considerations (Matsumoto and Britain 16).

In conclusion, Matsumoto and Britain state the "use of Japanese" by the grandparent and parent generations may represent conservative behavior, in the sense that it indicates maintenance of their mother tongue or ethnic home language, while "use of Japanese" by the children's generation may be seen as innovative behavior, marking the adoption of an in-coming overtly prestigious foreign language, which assures a secure position in local labor markets (Matsumoto and Britain 16).

Matsumoto, Kazuko and David Britain. 2003. Investigating the sociolinguistic gender
paradox in a multilingual community: A case study from the Republic of Palau.
International Journal of Bilingualism 7(2): 127-152.